Construction of pre-fabricated panels



Jan 31, 196l JEAN-PIERRE M. MICHELu-:R 2,969,617

CONSTRUCTION oF PRE-FABRICATED PANELs 2 Sheets-Sheet l1 Filed April 23, 1957 Jan. 3l, -1961 JEAN-PIERRE M. MICHELIER 2,969,617 l CONSTRUCTION oF PRE-FABRICATED PANELs Filed April 23. 195'? 2 sheds-sheet 2 nited States atent `CONSTRUCTION OF PRE-FABRICATED PANELS Jean-Pierre Michel Michelier, Rue de Rome, Paris, France Filed Apr. 23, 1957, Ser. No. '654,536

Claims priority, application France May 29, '1956 4 Claims. (Cl. S0-263) The present invention 'relates to pre-fabricated panels of reinforced concrete or other strong material, of the type having the same height as the story of a building, and comprising vertical ribs coupled together by horizontal ribs forming an additional thickness of the panels. Panels of this kind are already known in which the vertical ribs are deeper than the horizontal ribs, and the alignment of a panel on the panel beneath is obtained by means of studs which couple these two panels together. In this case, it has been proposed to ensure the transmission of the loads by a packing of concrete between the lower sections of the ribs and the part of the construction located beneath, which is in general a chainage beam obtained by pouring concrete on the upper horizontal rib of the lower panel and on the upper face, arranged at the same level, of insulating blocks associated with the ribs of this lower panel.

The present invention has for its object improvements made to these panels with a View to facilitating the setting in position of these panels one on top of the other, and the construction of chainage beams; and also with a view to improving the transmission of the loads. Other improvements have the object of enabling parts of domestic service systems to be placed in position, and also to prevent the accumulation of moisture inside the panels.

In particular, an important improvement consists in providing the lower horizontal rib of each panel with a groove having a rounded bottom, while the upper edge of the panel has an edge which is also rounded but with a smaller radius than that of the lower groove, in order to ensure that the superposed panels t one into the other, enabling the upper panel to be pivoted on the lower panel during its erection so as to carry out the setting.

A further improvement consists in giving the upper horizontal rib of each panel a depth which is at least equal to that of the vertical ribs so as to form a kind of upper table covering these vertical ribs, which can serve as a coifering base for the pouring of the chainage beams, and as a support for the upper ooring, this table also covering the insulating blocks which are associated with the vertical ribs.

The description which follows below with reference to the accompanying drawings (which are given by way of example only and not in any sense by way of limitation) will make it quite clear how the invention may be carried into eiect, the special features which are brought out, either in the text or in the drawings, being understood to form a part of the said invention.

Fig. 1 is a view in perspective with a part broken away, and partly in horizontal cross-section, of a pre-fabricated panel provided with the improvements which form the object of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the panel shown in Fig. 1.

Pig. 3 is a view in horizontal cross-section of part of a wall built with panels in accordance with the present invention, and showing various forms of these panels.

There can be seen in Fig. 1 a panel comprising a wall 1 provided on its inner face with two vertical ribs 2 placed at a certain distance from the vertical edges 2a of the panel. These ribs 2 terminate at the top at a certain distance below the upper horizontal edge 3, but they go down to the level of the lower edge of the panel. It will be particularly observed from Fig. 2 that the upper edge of a panel is formed with an edge 3 of rounded form, while the lower edge is provided with a horizontal reinforcing rib 4, in which there is formed a groove 5, the section of which is substantially semi-circular, with a radius greater than that of the upper edge 3 of the panel. Fig. 2 clearly shows the advantages of these features. The panel l rests by the bottom of the groove 5 on the upper part of the edge 3' of the lower panel 1. It will be understood that the corresponding parts, the lower groove of one panel and the upper edge of the panel located underneath, can be brought into engagement even if the upper panel is not arranged strictly in vertical alignment with the lower panel. Thus, the operations of handling and placing the panels in position are simplified: it is only necessary to engage the lower part of the panel and place it on the upper rib of the panel which is already in position and then to carry out a kind of pivotal movement of the upper panel on the lower panel, in order to bring the former to the desired vertical position. It will be noted from the drawings that the lower groove 5 of each panel has embedded in it a strip 5a of exible material or of wood, which lines the area over which the upper panel comes into contact with the edge 3 of the lower panel. In this way, chipping of the concrete both in the groove 5 and on the edge 3 due to the eiect of the slight shock of contact of the Itwo panels is avoided.

The horizontal rib 6 located at the upper part of the vertical ribs 2 in the improved panel shown in Figs. l and 2, has a thickness at least equal to that of these vertical ribs. There is thus formed a kind of table 6 Y which serves as a coifering base for the horizontal chainyage beams which are poured above a row of panels and which are shown at 7 in Fig. 2. The inner extremity of this table may even form a supporting surface for a ilooring, not shown in Fig. 2, but which would be placed in position immediately to the right of the beam '7. By its inner marginal portion extending beyond the vertical ribs 2, the table covers wholly or partly the insulating blocks 8 which form the inner lining of the panels and which are hollow, generally provided with longitudinal cellular passages 9. The table 6 closes the extremities of these passages.

In order to ensure the transmission of the loads carried by the panel to the members of the construction located beneath the panel, and in particular to the chainage beam 7 (see Fig. 2), a packing of concrete 10 is effected between the edge of the vertical ribs 2 of the panel l and this beam. A groove 11 at the bottom of each of the ribs 2 facilitates the introduction of this packing concrete lil. The ribs 2. of a panel are pierced with holes such as l2 which can serve for example for the introduction of bars cooperating with handling and lifting equipment. The operation of handling the panels is thus much easier and is carried out with greater safety. These holes may also serve for passing or fixing piping systems for water, gas, etc.; these pipes may even be incorporated with the panels during the course of pre-fabrication.

Variations in temperature or in the moisture content of the air may cause condensation of water vapor from the air enclosed in the cavity of each panel and defined by the wall 1, the vertical ribs 2, the table 6 and the insulating block 8. In general, this water condenses on the inner face of the wall l which is the coldest part. A channel 13 is formed in the lower part of this wall, that is to say at the upper part of the rib 4. This channel is sloping in the manner of a double-pitch roof, towards the two lateral edges of the panel. It passes through the vertical ribs 2 by means of passages and passes out at 13a into the vertical channels 14 provided along the vertical edges of the panels. The condensation water is thence evacuated by a collecting system coupled to the channels 13 and 14.

ln the same way, the posts 13 cast between the vertical ribs Z of two contiguous panels of the same row are provided at their lower portion with a channel 19 (see Fig. 3) intended to receive the condensation water. At the lowest point of these channels 19 with two-way slope, a conduit system 20 provided during the pouring of the posts evacuates this water into the drainage channels 14 located between the panels.

This collecting system may be coupled to the internal space of the lioors when the latter are equipped with pipes for the circulation of a heat conditioning iiuid. The water which condenses within the interior of the fioorings, especially in summer when the fluid is used for cooling, can be evacuated. The water is collected in an inclined tank 21 which empties into the collector 20 (see Fig. 2). This tank 21 may be for example of metal or of plastic material and can be built into the parts of the ooring.

In the same way, if wall panels are used for air-temperature conditioning, the water from the frosting elements of the apparatus may be evacuated by reservoirs which empty into the channels 13.

The insulating blocks 8 embrace the vertical ribs 2 of each panel as can be seen from Fig. 1. A block of this kind is produced for example by pouring into a horizontal mould, surmounted by the corresponding panel arranged in such a manner that its ribs pass into the mould and are in consequence embedded in the poured material up to a suitable depth. The method is particularly easy to carry out in the case of the construction of insulating blocks of plaster. The cellular passages 9 are produced by pairs of pipes held together by an external sheath. The pipes are engaged by their extremities in the corresponding holes 12a of the horizontal rib 6, and holes of a template forming a side of the pouring casing. The pipes are supported by members passed through the holes 12 in the vertical ribs 2 of the concrete panel.

1n this way, there is obtained a single unit comprising the whole of the concrete panel and its insulating lining.

Fig. 3 is intended to show that the improvements described are not limited to the single type of panel shown in Figs. 1 and 2, this iigure shows in cross-section an angle of two walls, one of the walls comprising an opening. For the construction of the angle of the walls, use is made of a coupling member between the two flat panels which enclose this angle. The angle member 15 is a simple external covering member which is not provided with ribs. On the other hand, the member 16 with the opening comprises ribs 2 in the same way as an ordinary dat panel, and it is between these ribs that the Opening 16a is formed by virtue of an appropriate form of the mould. There can be seen in Fig. 3 the vertical posts 18 of reinforced concrete which form a framework, and are poured between the vertical ribs 2 of the adjacent panels. Anchoring rods such as 17 are engaged in the holes of the vertical ribs in order to iix the panels and the posts rigidly together.

What is claimed is:

1. A Prefabricated, generally rectangular panel having, when erected to be used as a structural wall element of a building, outer and inner faces bounded by a lower and an upper horizontal edge and two vertical side edges, the length of the panel and the side edges being substantially equal to the height of a story of said building, the said panel comprising two vertical ribs projecting from said inner face and extending downwardly to said lower edge but -terminating short of the other three edges; upper and lower rims formed on said panel ex-.

tending respectively along the upper and lower horizontal edges and having a greater thickness than the remainder of the panel, the lower rim having a downwardly facing bottom recess with a concave surface and the upper rim having an upwardly projecting convex surface, the radius of curvature of said bottom concave surface being greater than that of said convex surface and the depth of said recess being smaller than the height of said convex surface, whereby the convex surface of a pan-el is adapted to come into contact engagement with the concave bottom of a similar panel thereabove to form a hinge; vertical first drain-channels deiined in said vertical edges, and a second drain-channel defined in said lower rim and ending at said rst channels, said second channel facing upwardly to collect any liquid trickling down the inner face of said panel and sloping down towards the ends thereof to discharge said liquid into said first drain-channels.

2. A prefabricated panel as claimed in claim l, comprising further a strip of wood-like material embedded in the lower rim and having a face exposed along the concave surface of the recess.

3. A building having external walls made of successive, prefabricated, generally rectangular panels arranged vertically on top of each other and having outer and inner faces bounded by a lower and an upper horizontal edge and two vertical edges, the length of the panel and vertical edges being substantially equal to the height of a story of said building, each panel comprising two vertical ribs projecting from said inner face; upper and lower rims formed on each panel extending respectively along the upper and lower horizontal edges and having an extra thickness relative to the remainder of the panel, the lower rim having a downwardly facing recess with a concave bottom surface and the upper rim having an upwardly projecting convex surface, the radius of curvature of said concave bottom surface being greater than that of said convex surface and the depth of said recess being smaller than the height of said convex surface, whereby the convex surface of a panel is adapted to come into contact engagement with the concave bottom surface of a similar panel thereabove to form a hinge; vertical drain-channels defined in said vertical edges; and a second drain-channel formed in said lower rim and ending at said rst channels, said second channel facing upwardly to collect any liquid trickling down the inner face of said panel and sloping down towards the ends thereof to discharge said liquid into said iirst drain-channels.

4. A prefabricated generally rectangular panel having, when erected to be used as a structural wall element of a building, outer and inner faces bounded by a lower and an upper horizontal side and two vertical sides, the length of the panel and of the vertical sides being substantially equal to the height of a story of a building, said panel comprising two vertical ribs projecting from said inner Aface and extending downwardly to said lower side but terminating short of the other sides; upper and lower rims formed on said panel extending along the upper and lower horizontal sides and having a greater thickness than the remainder of the panel, the lower rim having a downwardly facing recess defining a curved bottom, and the upper rim having an upwardly projecting convex edge, the radius of curvature of said recess being greater than that of said convex edge and the depth of said recess being smaller than the height of said convex edge, whereby the convex edge of a panel is adapted to engage the recess of a similar panel thereabove to form a hinge; vertical iirst drain-channels defined in said vertical sides, and a second drain-channel dened in said lower rim and facing upwardly to collect any liquid trickling down the inner face of said panel and sloping down towards the ends thereof terminating at said rst channels discharging said liquid into said rst drain-channels.

(References on following page) UNITED STATES PATENTS Anderson Nov. 19, 1901 Slandau Oct. 2l, 1902 Howell June 27, 1922 Playford Mar. 12, 1929 Betzler Dec. 1, 1931 Deichmann June 9, 1936 6 Davis Apr. 12, 1938 Nielsen etal Dec. 13, 1938 Hines Jan. 27, 1942 Brewer Sept. 14, 1943 FOREIGN PATENTS Great Britain 1941 Great Britain 1953 

